Viking gems to typewriters

Treasures from the Viking age , h i s to r i ca l typewriters and wildlife photos will feature in exhibitions at the National Mu s e u m of Scotland next year.

The Galloway Hoard: Viking-age Treasure will run from February 19 to May 9 and will bring together the “richest collec tion of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland”, the museum said.

Metal detectorist Derek McLennan uncovered the 10th Century treasure trove in a field in Dumfries and Galloway in 2014.

It was acquired by National Museums Scotland in 2017.

Next year, the museum in Edinburgh will also host the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.

This display, which will run from Ju n e 25 to October 3, will feature the winning entry by Russian photographer Sergey Gorshkov of a Siberian tiger scent-marking a tree.

Also on the programme for next year is the exhibition The Typewriter Revolution from May 28 to September 26, which will examine the social and technological impact of the typewriter over more than 100 years.

The display will showcase National Museums S c o t l a n d ’s historically significant collection of typewriters, from an 1875 Sholes and Glidden typewriter, which was the first to have a QWERTY keyboard, to the 1970 s design icon, the Olivetti Valentine.

Other exhibitions on the programme include Japanese Contemporary Design from March 5 to August 15 and Sea Change: Art and Environment in Oceania from October 29 2021 to April 17 2022, which will show contemporary responses to climate change and plastic waste by Indigenous Australian and Pacific Islander artists.

Chris Breward, director of Na t i o n a l Mu s e u m s Scotland, said: “The programme reflects the wonderful diversity of our collections and our work with several of the exhibitions covering important themes.

“The Galloway Hoard embodies one of our core strengths as the global centre for Scottish history and archaeology.

“It is important also for us as a national museum to engage with the challenges of climate change.”

TREASURE: Viking jewellery will go on show at the National Museum of Scotland.